A broadcast router allows each one of a plurality of audio outputs therefrom to be assigned the signal from any one of a plurality of audio inputs thereto. For example, an N×M broadcast router has N audio inputs and M audio outputs coupled together by a router matrix which allows any one of the N audio inputs to be applied to each one of the M audio outputs. In addition, a broadcast router requires at least one reference input. A variety of reference signals which may be applied to a reference input are known. They include, among others, a video black reference signal, a tri-level synchronization signal and a digital audio reference signal (“DARS”). Reference signals such as these may be used by the broadcast router for a variety of purposes. Oftentimes, a reference signal is used to time switches within the broadcast router. A broadcast router may also use a reference signal for synchronization purposes. For example, a broadcast router may retime its audio outputs to be closer to the reference signal than to the audio inputs. Prior broadcast routers used phased lock loop techniques to continually align its audio outputs to the incoming reference signal. Since an attempt to synchronized a non-synchronous signal will damage the signal, such broadcast routers also required the use of a sync/non-sync detection circuit which determined whether the output audio signal should be synchronized.
Broadcast routers having multiple reference inputs are known in the art. In the past, however, multiple reference inputs have been predefined as either redundant or independent. If the multiple reference inputs were redundant to one another, the same reference signal would be supplied to each reference input. Conversely, if the multiple reference inputs were independent of one another, a different reference signal would be supplied to each reference input. Once predefined as either redundant or independent, the multiple reference inputs could not be used as the other unless the broadcast router was physically modified in some fashion, for example, by actuating a physical switch or selecting a setting using a graphical user interface (“GUI”).